


How To Save A Life

by AniecaSophistica



Category: Cosmere - Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson, The Alloy of Law - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: CFSBF, CFSWF, Cosmere Challenge, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 20:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7522528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AniecaSophistica/pseuds/AniecaSophistica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For: Cosmere Challenge, CFSWF<br/>Fandom: Mistborn Era 1.5/2 – Alloy, Shadows<br/>Spoilers: All to Be Safe. I think none, however.<br/>Warning: character death<br/>Rating: PG<br/>Based On: “How to Save a Life” – The Fray</p>
<p>With a title like that, it's obvious this isn't going anywhere good. Besides, Cosmere Challenge in July. It ISN'T going good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How To Save A Life

Marasi takes a breath and steps into Wayne’s bedroom. She winces at the smell alone. There is a week’s worth of clothes scattered by the bed, alcohol bottles of every kind around the bed. Marasi wasn’t sure _what_ Waxillium was thinking in leaving Wayne in charge of his house after his death, but it was obviously a poor choice.

She walks up to him and shakes him awake. He groans. She scrunches her nose against the smell. “Wayne…” He became a little less pale, and glances up to look at her, sitting up slowly as if his head would kill him if he moved quickly.

“What do you want?” He mumbles softly, rubbing at his head.

“We need to talk.” He looks her over. Her arms are placed firmly on her hips. This is serious, it says. Or she hopes it does.

“Last I heard, Marasi, we weren’t dating.” He stands up to go walk past her. She holds her hand firmly on his chest, stopping him.

“Sit down. We need to talk.” Marasi says, firmly.

He smiles politely back at her, waiting for her to continue.

She takes a breath and she smiles politely back at him. She opens her mouth but he glances away, a frown on his lips, sorrow in his eyes. He glances at her before reaching for a shockingly full bottle of whiskey by the table. He dodges around her hand that moves to stop him. He just gives her an amused look as he drinks it all down before glancing back out the window again.

She frowns, resting the heel of her hand between her eyes, and sighs. Why is she here? What could _she_ do to help him that Wax couldn’t? She breathes in, reminding herself to have patience with him. He has just lost his friend. His best friend. Maybe his only real friend...

“Wayne, you have to stop drinking.”

“I don’t see why. I got plenty of health. It doesn’t hurt me. What’s your point?” He says too quickly, denying it all.

“You can’t store more health if you’re not using it.”

“I got enough to spare.”

“It’s a problem, Wayne. You can’t keep drinking and getting into bar fights and…” she rests her hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes. “I know that he’s dead and this makes you feel better, but…”

“I can be sober whenever I want.”

“You can’t keep doing this, you’re ruining your life. You have to run the house and…. I know you’re alone and you lost your best friend, but –“

“No, you don’t know how I feel. You didn’t really know him. He’s all I’ve ever had, Marasi. In my whole life, he’s all I’ve had and he’s gone!” Wayne yells at her, surprising her. She removes her hand from his shoulder.

“He –“ She starts again.

“Just leave me alone.” Turning away and standing up, taking a moment to balance himself.

“I’m trying to help you.” She says calmly, patiently, kindly.

“I don’t need your help.” He storms out of the room and down the hall. These words said so softly.

 

She follows after him, down the halls. She closes her eyes and prays for the survivor to give her strength and rests her head on the door to the bathroom. She steps back when he opens the door.

“You want to help?”

“Yes.”

“Want to make me dinner?”

“What?”

“Yeah, you want to help, that will help. I could use some food.” She studies him suspiciously and she gets into her car and drives in silence to her place.

He sits quietly at her table and she makes his favorite terris soup. It's also her favorite. She sets the food down and he smiles happily and thankfully at her, eating it quickly. She just watches him until he tells her to eat. She's just glad to see him up, around, and eating.

She takes his bowl as he moves to her couch and she sits beside him, resting her hand on his. “I know it’s hard. I know you’ve been through a lot.” She tries again.

He looks at her. He nods and touches her face, taking it softly and pressing his lips to hers. She just lets him. A too soft, too gentle kiss, filled with far too much emotion that almost brings her to tears before he breaks the kiss. He smiles softly at her. “I just can’t do this, Marasi, tun a house, be the man that you want me to be. That the house needs me to be.”

She shakes her head. “No, you can. You can be anything you want...” Tears in her eyes, she’s so tired of taking care of things for him the last few months. And for Steris. She rests her head in his chest.

He gathers her into his arms and he freezes as he carries her into his bedroom. She looks at him tense as he just rests beside her and closes his eyes, petting her head gently, stroking her hair. “Get some sleep.” He whispers and gently presses a kiss to her forehead.

She nods, tired, and closes her eyes. She falls asleep.

 

She winces at the too bright light the next morning and looks around for Wayne, sitting up quickly and freezes when she sees a small package on the bed. A small wrapped bundle with a note with her name on it. She pulls it open quickly, recognizing his handwriting.

Her hear near-stops in horror as a stack of gold bracers sits in the bundle. She moves to the note again, his messy scrawl on the back of the note. _Thanks for everything. Bye._

She doesn’t care about anything, clutching the bundle to her chest, grabbing her keys and bag as she makes the drive to the Ladrian manor. She slams on the breaks when she sees the people gathered out front.

“No,” She mumbles and pushes forward and stops again as she sees Reddi, who meets her eyes. She ignores and tunes out his words. She moves purposefully going to the body wrapped in a sheet and pulls it down, ignoring the workers and their stares.

Tears rolls down her face as he lays there, a soft peaceful smile on his face. Like he's finally at peace. She wants to be angry but he looks so happy. Tears fall onto his chest as she sobs into him until Reddi gently pulls her away.

She freezes and fights free moving to him, grabbing a bracer and putting it on his arm. Waiting, waiting for something to happen. Nothing.

“Please.” She begs. “Please, Harmony… anybody?”

She clings to Wayne’s shirt as Reddi pulls her away more forcefully. He holds her -glancing at the bracers as the others drop to the ground, jingling softly - but she slides to the ground beside a gold bracer, clutching it to her chest. She fights as people try to move her. She lays down there in the road, wishing that she too were dead.

 

_And I would have stayed up with you all night_

_Had I known how to save a life_


End file.
